In 1926 a close-knit group of Syrian immigrants (who were actually from modern day Lebanon) on the south side of New Castle, bound by their Maronite Catholic faith, were formally organized as the St. John the Baptist Maronite Catholic Church. Without a building of their own they initially meet at various locations in the area of Long Avenue, until 1928 when they acquired the old St. George Greek Orthodox Church on Howard Way. In 1941 they purchased the old Emmanuel Baptist Church on Reynolds Street and moved there. This aging building was razed in October 1954 and ground was broken the following spring on a larger church at the same location. The new church (shown above), built under the care of the Reverend Edward M. Schwartz, was dedicated during an impressive ceremony on Sunday, November 6, 1955. It has been remodeled over the years and is still in service today. (Aug 2012) Full Size